Tissue cassette dispensing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a dispensing apparatus for dispensing individual tissue cassettes from a stack of cassettes, the apparatus includes a hopper for receiving a stack of tissue cassettes, the hopper having an aperture through which cassettes are dispensable; ejection means for ejecting a cassette through the aperture; and retention means for retaining all but one of the cassettes in the stack as an individual cassette is ejected.

The invention claimed is:  
     
       1. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing individual tissue cassettes from a stack of such cassettes, the apparatus including:
 a hopper for receiving a stack of tissue cassettes, the hopper having an aperture through which a lowermost one of the cassettes is dispensable; 
 an ejection device to eject the lowermost cassette through the aperture; 
 a retention device to retain all but the lowermost one of the cassettes in the stack as the lowermost cassette is ejected, the retention device including a support member that acts to support at least part of the weight of the stack as the lowermost cassette is ejected, the retention device thereby reducing the force exerted on the lowermost cassette by the weight of the stack as the lowermost cassette is ejected; 
 the hopper including a gate to close the aperture; 
 the retention device being arranged in conjunction with the gate such that when the gate is fully open the retention device is in operation to retain the remainder of the cassettes in the stack; 
 the ejection device including a tray in which the lowermost cassette may be held; 
 the tray being sloped and the gate being arranged so that in use, the gate prevents the lowermost cassette from sliding out of the tray under the action of gravity until the gate is fully open; 
 the tray including a separation device to improve the separation of the lowermost cassette held within the tray from an adjacent cassette as the tray is moved; and 
 wherein a portion of an inner face of a rear wall of the tray is inclined relative to a base of the tray at an acute angle, so that when the lowermost cassette is in position in the tray an upper part of the portion of the inner face of the rear wall of the tray is nearer to the lowermost cassette than a lower part of the portion of the inner face of the rear wall of the tray. 
 
     
     
       2. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing individual tissue cassettes from a stack of such cassettes, the apparatus including:
 a hopper for receiving a stack of tissue cassettes, the hopper having an aperture through which a lowermost one of the cassettes is dispensable; 
 an ejection device to eject the lowermost cassette through the aperture; 
 a retention device to retain all but the lowermost one of the cassettes in the stack as the lowermost cassette is ejected, the retention device including a support member that acts to support at least part of the weight of the stack as the lowermost cassette is ejected, the retention device thereby reducing the force exerted on the lowermost cassette by the weight of the stack as the lowermost cassette is ejected; 
 the hopper including a gate to close the aperture; 
 the retention device being arranged in conjunction with the gate such that when the gate means is fully open the retention device is in operation to retain the remainder of the cassettes in the stack; 
 the ejection device including a tray in which a single tissue lowermost cassette may be held, the tray further including a separation device to improve the separation of the lowermost cassette held within the tray from an adjacent cassette as the tray is moved, and 
 wherein a portion of an inner face of a rear wall of the tray is inclined relative to a base of the tray at an acute angle, so that when the lowermost cassette is in position in the tray an upper part of the portion of the inner face of the rear wall of the tray is nearer to the lowermost cassette than a lower part of the portion of the inner face of the rear wall of the tray. 
 
     
     
       3. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the retention device includes a finger or tooth which is moveable so as to grip a cassette. 
     
     
       4. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the hopper includes a pocket region in which at least part of the stack of cassettes may be held in use. 
     
     
       5. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 4  wherein the support member of the retention device acts on one or more of the cassettes in the stack in the pocket region. 
     
     
       6. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 5  wherein the support member of the retention device acts on at least the lowest cassette in the pocket region, which when the at least the lowest cassette in the pocket region is retained in position in the pocket region by the retention device, then the at least the lowest cassette in the pocket region in turn serves to hold the remainder of the cassettes in the stack in position. 
     
     
       7. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 6  wherein the lowest cassette in the pocket region is the cassette next in the stack to the cassette in a tray of the ejection device. 
     
     
       8. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the tray is moveable so as to be useable to transport a lowermost cassette away from the stack of cassettes when a lowermost cassette is to be dispensed. 
     
     
       9. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the tray is slidable and wherein the sliding action of the tray opens the gate. 
     
     
       10. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the gate device is biased to a closed position. 
     
     
       11. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein a second upper portion of the inner face of the rear wall of the tray is angled at an obtuse angle to the base of the tray, so that the upper part of the portion of the inner face of the rear wall of the tray that is inclined relative to the base of the tray at an acute angle is nearer to the lowermost cassette in the tray than an upper part of the second, upper portion of the inner face of the rear wall of the tray that is angled at an obtuse angle to the base of the tray. 
     
     
       12. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the opening of the gate device causes the retention device to operate. 
     
     
       13. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein when the gate is fully closed, the retention device is not retaining the cassettes in the stack in any particular position. 
     
     
       14. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the gate includes a member which causes a finger or tooth of the retention device to engage one or more cassettes in the stack. 
     
     
       15. A dispensing apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the gate acts so as to prevent a cassette from leaving the tray unless the gate is fully open. 
     
     
       16. The dispensing apparatus of  claim 2  configured to be removably mountable to a tissue cassette processing apparatus, the ejection device of the dispensing apparatus being configured to be operated by an ejection operating device of the tissue cassette processing apparatus.